1. Field
This invention relates generally to the field of animal pest control and more particularly to a novel pest extermination method and apparatus.
Prior Art
As will appear from the ensuing description, the invention may be utilized to control or exterminate any type of animal pest against which the invention is effective. The invention is particularly concerned, however, with controling or exterminating rodents which burrow through the ground and especially gophers, moles and the like. For this reason, the invention will be described in this context.
Virtually all ground areas are subject to invasion by burrowing rodents of the kind referred to, and especially gophers. Their destructive actions are well known and need not be elaborated. Suffice to say that gophers burrow into and through the soil which produces unsightly holes in the ground, dirt mounds, cave-ins and other unsightly conditions. Gophers also destroy grass, plants, crops and the like by eating their roots from below the ground. As a result, gophers are particularly annoying and troublesome pests for residential yards, parks, golf courses, farms, and other planted areas which must be maintained in some way.
A variety of procedures and devices have been devised for exterminating such rodents Foremost among these are gassing and flooding the underground rodent burrows and traps set in the burrows. Examples of gassing procedures and devices for exterminating burrowing rodents and other animal pests are described in the following patents.
______________________________________ 356,498 1,117,063 1,292,624 1,309,193 1,403,461 1,492,732 1,529,785 1,614,015 1,727,457 1,872,676 1,930,588 2,467,922 2,561,684 2,745,210 ______________________________________
None of the existing rodent extermination procedures and devices are very effective. Moreover, the prior gassing procedures either required large engine powered vehicles as an exhaust gas source or desposable gas producing units which had to be replaced at relatively high cost, generally after each use. Accordingly, a need exists for an improved pest extermination procedure and apparatus. This invention provides an improved method and apparatus for extermination of animal pests, particularly burrowing rodents such as gophers.